Pakistan minister offers strange solution to flood-affected people: ‘Store water in containers’

Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif also urged residents to view the water as a “blessing”.

Published on: Sep 3, 2025, 17:54:15 IST

By HT News Desk

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In a bizarre solution, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif has urged people in low-lying areas to "store" the flood waters in containers, rather than letting it go to drains.

Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, is in China's Qingdao. (AFP)

Asif also called on the residents of Pakistan, which is currently experiencing severe floods from record monsoon rainfall, to view the water as a “blessing”.

"People who are protesting against the flood-like situation should take the flood waters home," the minister told a Pakistani news channel, according to an NDTV report.

"People should store this water at their homes, in tubs, and containers. We should look at this water in the form of a blessing and hence should store it," he added.

He also suggested that Pakistan should build small dams instead of waiting for 10-15 years to build large dams. A video of Asif's comment has gone viral on social media. HT, however, could not independently confirm its authenticity.

Also Read | 'Politicians get leftovers': Khawaja Asif's explosive claim against Pakistan's bureaucrats

On Monday, Khawaja Asif had urged against blaming 'divine will' for flood-related destruction, saying the real cause was unchecked construction on riverbeds and natural waterways, according to ANI.

Asif said rains were a "blessing from God," but their benefits turn into devastation when housing societies, commercial structures and even hotels were built along rivers and storm drains.

Earlier, Asif had also blamed India for the crisis and made a bizarre claim that the floodwaters flowing from across the border carried dead bodies into Pakistan.

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